Please, this discussion is not about texting technology. Stick to e-mail.
I do not own a portable smart device, or cell phone. My home workstation, with a conventional keyboard, is my only means of e-communication. When I e-mail my two sisters, sister (A) usually responds with a “reasonable” length response, however you might define it. Sister (B) rarely responds with more than eight words. Sister A has both mobile and office (desktop) capabilities. Sister (B) has only her mobile smartphone.
There are times when a lengthy e-mail from me solicits more than a yes or no response. Sister (A) obliges. Sister (B) might increase her response to 30 words.
It is my opinion that portable smart technology makes it difficult to respond to e-mail messages at length. My experience with my sisters is my anecdotal proof. I’ve even called sister (B) after receiving a mostly useless five word response.
That’s pretty much it. I’ll type out a well written email at my desk, if I’m on my phone, especially if I’m not in a position to do a whole lot of typing, you’ll get a minimum of words, possibly even lacking proper capitalization or grammar. Granted, this is only in cases where the recipient is going to be concerned about it. If one of my customers sends me an email asking me to duplicate their previous order and deliver it tomorrow, ‘no problem’ is fine, a new customer inuring about our services deserves something better thought out.
I think it’s unreasonable to expect a long response from someone with a device which is designed for mobile, brief communications. You might be happier if you ask Sister B to call you after she reads your email.
It is incredibly awkward to the nth degree for me to type on a handheld device. I simply can NOT write anything but full sentences, but it’s a journey of incredible length on my handheld. I can type around 100 wpm on a keyboard when all the conditions are right, and I struggle for 5 wpm on my mobile.
Ages ago, I used to use a Palm Pilot IIIxe, and once I got the hang of stylus writing I found it acceptable for buses. It still encouraged a sort of terseness, since I was managing perhaps 15 to 20 wpm, but it made for writing with an entirely different voice. I dearly miss it.
As for received e-mails, when I used to work for the feds, anything from Status Symbol Blackberries was always very brief. In some cases, the “Sent from my Blackberry” signature was longer than the typed content.
In short, I’m agreeing with your assertion, @ASGuy, based on my own experiences. Mobiles make for terse e-mail.
Speaking only for myself I don’t change my email responses between phone and computer and I’ve typed lengthy emails on my phone while sitting in front of my computer. Of course, I choose my phone primarily for the large screen and use two thumbs while typing so I can type quickly and see 2-3 paragraphs at a time.
I work a lot of field jobs that are inactive but keep me away from my computer so I can spend the day emailing from my phone.
My response varies, but more so by time. If I only have my phone on me, my replies are generally shorter, but I use the speech-to-text to give sufficient information (this is a common feature on almost all modern smartphones, android or apple). However, if I’m in a place where text-to-speech isn’t appropriate (or the message isn’t), I normally wait until I’m home where I can type a more detailed email.
If it is urgent, and text to speech isn’t an option, yeah it’s going to be terse, but I’m much more likely to do an additional follow-up email when time permits.
does sister b do the same for actual e-mails? some people hate writing anything out anymore and say just text me … funny thing is texting started out for people who hated phone calls …
As I mentioned in a different thread, my Note 20 has this or similar software installed and I find it easy to dictate, copy and paste into a text conversation. I’m sure there are apps available in the app store for her device.
Hmmm. I do choose my laptop if i know i want to write a long, complex email. Especially if i will want to reference other things, or use nontrivial formatting. But the largest difference is what kind of errors i make. I’m a terrible typist, but i capitalize the first person singular pronoun when i type on a real keyboard, and for some reason my phone usually doesn’t do that, and I’m to lazy to edit it.
But i don’t think you can blame your sister’s lack of appropriate response on her hardware. She chooses not to bother to write enough, nor to call you. (Unless you don’t answer your phone, I suppose.)
Email is not the best way to communicate with someone on a phone. Email is designed for computers with a large screen and a proper keyboard.
WhatsApp is designed for communicating in text (and other ways) on phones. That’s why it has 2 billion users around the world, including 70 million in the US.
You can hold a back and forth text conversation where the responses are usually fairly brief, but can be as long as you like.
You can scroll back to see all previous conversations.
And you can also have a conversation with a whole group of people.
Conversations with different people and groups are kept separate.
Attach pics, videos and files.
Live voice and video calls, and voice and video messages, are also immediately available on the same app.
There are desktop and web versions, but they require that you have a version installed on your phone as well.
Email is simply an outdated method to communicate with people on phones.
huh?
Whatspp sufffers from the same problem as any other hand-held device: you have to type the text with one, fat finger aiming for those tiny letters on the screen…
Sure, you can add a video if you want…but Whatsapp does not make it easier to answer an email.
And it’s also unreasonable for anybody these days to possess nothing but a mobile device limited to brief communications. Sometimes we humans have to use our brain and express ourselves in proper language,using logic, and providing facts that support our intentions. This usually requires using a couple (or more) complete sentences.And sometimes even (gasp!) …a whole paragraph.
Sister (B) should get a real computer to read and respond to emails from her brother.
Mobile devices are fine for quick and simple messages. They are not good for serious communication
No, but it does make it easier to have a real conversation, in many small chunks.
I don’t use WhatsApp, but I use Signal, Google Hangouts, Discord, Slack, and Zulip, which are all glorified texting apps, like WhatsApp. They are probably all better than email for what the op is looking for.
Maybe sister B feels she sufficiently answered your long, rambling email. I’ve gotten long texts from my sister that I’ve dutifully read, then responded “k”, because that was all the reply necessary.
Maybe brother is the only person who attempts to communicate with Sister B via email.
Maybe Sister B has never been big on communicating in writing. Maybe that’s at least partly why she doesn’t have a computer, just a smartphone.
